Barcoding pieces of mail has become a valuable addition to the United States Postal Service (USPS). Barcoding enables mail sorting machines to rapidly sort mail using the barcoded ZIP CODE printed on the mail. This allows the USPS to route mail from a mailer to a receiver more efficiently (thus reducing costs of mailing) and more quickly since the machines are capable of sorting mail according to the barcoded ZIP CODE many times faster than a human reading the numerical ZIP CODE.
Recently, the USPS has adopted new ZIP CODES which contain more detailed destination information than the original five-digit ZIP. One new form of ZIP CODE ("ZIP+4") contains an additional four digit extension which generally identifies an address within a side of a residential block. A further enhanced ZIP CODE system utilizes 11-digit ZIP CODES to specify a point of delivery.
In order to encourage the use of the barcoded ZIP CODES, the USPS now provides discounts for mailers who include a barcoded ZIP+4 ZIP CODE or the more recent 11-digit delivery point ZIP CODE on their mail.
It is known to print barcoded ZIP CODES on pieces of mail prior to mailing by means of a machine equipped with a scanner for sensing the ZIP CODE in numeral form. The scanner in conjunction with pattern recognition systems identifies a ZIP-code in numeral form, formulates an appropriate barcode in accordance with the universal standard encoding scheme adopted by the USPS, and prints the barcode on the piece of mail from which the numerical ZIP CODE is sensed.
It is also known to locate a ZIP+4 numerical ZIP CODE within an electronically encoded document and to thereby generate and insert barcode graphics data into the document based upon the actual 9-digit ZIP CODE located by the barcoding system.
Though many persons and companies have address databases which contain the street address and 5 digit ZIP CODE for a given addressee, the relatively new nine digit ZIP+4 and eleven digit ZIP CODES are not always available.
In addition, a risk exists that a clerical error may occur in typing a ZIP CODE into a document. This error, if not detected, will carry through to the barcoded ZIP CODE when error detection mechanisms are not provided. When coupled with the automated sorting mechanism for barcoded mail, a clerical error such as the one described above results in mail containing the erroneous ZIP CODE to be sorted and routed to an improper location. The improper location could be as close as a block away or as far as across the country.
A complete ZIP CODE specifies the most accurate routing information available and desired by the mailer of a mail piece for sending the mail piece to a particular destination. Including a correct and complete barcoded ZIP CODE on a piece of mail allows mailers to take advantage of the cost savings and speed of delivery provided by automated routing of barcoded mail pieces. Therefore, a great value is attributable to the ability of mailers to easily adapt to changes in the ZIP CODE system and to thereby include the most up-to-date, complete and correct barcoded ZIP CODE available for a given destination specified on a piece of mail.